Fire and Ice
by PencilofAwesomeness
Summary: Pitch may be gone, but a new threat rises, threatening to destroy winter and all of its glory. This new threat will do whatever it takes to get his way, and he must get rid of Jack Frost to do so. The result? A deadly battle Jack must win against the one and only Heat Miser!
1. Chapter 1

**I finally watched Rise of the Guardians! But I decided that it couldn't just end there, so I cooked up a continuation to the story. Pitch may be gone, but another mysterious figure does everything in his power to get rid of the Guardians, especially Jack Frost. This is my first story that I'm uploading to FanFiction, so wish me good luck. If I make a mistake, please don't bite my head off. This is in Jack's PoV.**

Chapter 1: Winter Can't Last Forever

I was about to go insane. Nothing exciting happened at the North Pole. All North did was yell out his yetis to re-paint or remake some toy. I decided to fly to where the towns are, before I died of boredom. Heading south, I noticed buildings nestled in the mountains in the distant, forming a small town. I pointed my staff towards it and I rocketed into the town. My bare feet hit the ground, covered in tightly packed snow.

Strolling through the town, everyone passed through me, just as they always have, no doubt feeling nothing more than a small chill. I sighed. I was a Guardian now, but not much had changed. I was still a virtual nobody. Shrugging it off, I continued walking down the icy road.

I dug my hands in my pockets and looked around. Almost everyone was inside, or just walking the streets, talking in excited tones. Curious, I strained my ears to hear.

"…this one's gonna be a doosy, Janet," a man clasped his around a woman's shoulder, probably his wife. "Talk is that it will be the longest, biggest one in history!" He clapped his hands, thrilled about whatever he was talking about.

The girl, Janet, sighed. "Oh Hank, you get excited so easily. Ten seconds isn't that long…"

This was going nowhere. I flew off, already bored. I stopped mid-air though. A nagging thought crept through my mind, like it really was important. My head throbbed as urgent whispers filled my mind, though inaudible. When they were silenced, I wanted them to come back, since they were replaced with maleficent laughter. I shook my head violently, willing it all to go away. Zooming off, I tried to forget the cruel laughter, but it wouldn't rest.

I had no idea where I was going; I was just trying to get away from the voices, when I slammed into a pocket of hot air. The heat pressed against my skin, and it felt like it was about to melt off. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead. I clenched my teeth as the wave washed over me, draining my energy. Before I knew, I was falling.

My landing was…graceful…as I skidded into the ground face-first, eating dirt. I groaned and dragged myself up, and sat on my knees, panting. The blast of heat caught me by surprise, even though it was already mid-April, and I should've been looking out for it. With the back of my hand, I wiped the sweat off of my forehead, then pushed myself to my feet, and looked around. I groaned again when I realized that I was in the middle of nowhere, nowhere being desert-like plains.

Deserts and I don't mix. If I stayed in one for too long, I would become Jack Puddle.

I took a deep breath, and pushed myself back into the air with great effort, making sure I avoided all hotspots. It was getting late, and once I was in Canada, I settled down in the treetops. My feet dangled off the edge of the branch I was on, and I leaned back against the trunk. I looked up, taking in the sight of a million twinkling stars framing the full, silver-white moon.

Suddenly, a shadow passed through the sky, overlapping the moon. Piece by piece, the moon was enveloped by the shadow. The last piece was covered, and a rising lump in my throat almost choked me. A sense of dread washed over me and I stared in horror at the black circle where the moon once was.

**Hoped you liked it! Okay, it was boring, I know. I couldn't think of much to do for the first chapter… I promise the next one will by ****_way_**** more exciting, so just bear with me. Comments are encouraged. If you have to criticize, please don't be ****_too_**** harsh.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have one review so far and I'm pumped! (Thank you Quidditchexpert…) It's mid-winter break for me, and I have nothing better to do… so I'll be updated stories a lot this week. This chapter will be longer with a lot more excitement, so hold on to your seats!**

Chapter 2: The Eclipse

The shock nearly knocked me out of the tree. My mind went dizzy, and I felt numb. I could barely tell what was going on, I just knew that it was bad. I thought back to earlier that day. That couple… they must have been talking about the eclipse! I've seen one before, a few actually, but I never felt like I got punched in the gut when it happened.

I remembered what the man said. Ten whole seconds. It was going to last for ten seconds, five more now. I counted down the seconds, willing it to stop: five, four, three, two, one. Nothing happened. The eclipse was still there. I took a deep breath and hoped I miscounted, but another wave of heat washed over me.

_Winter's over boy, and the moon is gone. Serve me, that is your only purpose. Serve me…your master…_

No! I shook the voice out of my head, that horrible, fiery voice. Clutching the tree, I fought the urge to believe everything was dull and gone, like the voice wanted me to believe. Children still played, and I still had a purpose, but it wasn't to serve some nagging voice. Stealing a peak at the sky, my heart sank when I still couldn't see the moon. I may resent that the Man in the Moon kept me in the dark for three hundred years, but this seemed wrong.

With a final shake of my head, pushing the dark thoughts away, I took off into the sky, desperate to find one of the other Guardians. They should know what was happening; they talked with the moon before, so they were better equipped than I was…right?

I accelerated towards the Frozen North; North was the closest Guardian to me. I neared his workshop, and I skidded to a stop, tumbling in the snow a few times before I could jump back to my feet. Running in, I stopped once again, bewildered. The place was empty! Strolling the hallways, I didn't see a soul, not even a little elf.

As I pondered this, a large figure rammed into my side and threw me into a wall with a thud. I leapt to my feet and pointed my staff at the shadowy figure. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" I demanded.

The figure, about seven feet tall, stepped forward. Squinting at it, I gasped. "Bunny?" I whispered in disbelief. "What are you- Umph!"

He swung a furry fist at my jaw, catching me by surprise. Growling, he lunged at me on all fours, pinning me to the ground.

"If you're still mad about that blizzard in '68, then I'm sorry, but…" I laughed nervously, cringing at his sour, carrot breath. "How 'bout a mint, big guy, you need it!" I blew out frosty breath in Bunny's face, making him stumble off of me. "Now can we just call it even?" I pleaded.

Bunny shook his head violently, then snarled and looked up at me. I realized with a shock that his pupil was all black, and the whites of his eyes were stained blood red. Bunny was foaming at the mouth like an animal. (That was just an expression…) He lunged again, but I rolled to the side just in time.

I froze the ground, ice spreading from my fingertips. When Bunny started to run towards me, he stayed in place for a few seconds then slipped onto his back. All of sudden, the ice melted, giving Bunny traction again. How on Earth did the ice melt in the North Pole! While I stared at the scene, dumbfounded, Bunny had another chance to knock me over. He took his boomerang and held it to my throat as he sat on top of me; the only keeping his razor-sharp weapon away from me was my staff, held protectively in front of my face.

With a push, I heaved the impressively large rabbit off of me, and threw him back with a blast of ice. Movement in the corner of my eye got my attention, and I chanced a glance over my shoulder. North stood behind me, breathing heavily. "North!" I exclaimed, "Bunny's gone cra-" The flat of one of North's twin swords knocked against me, and I saw that he had the same black and red eyes as Bunny. "You too?" I asked in growing horror and disbelief. What was going on here?

Before I had time to think, both Fuzzy-butt and Saint Nick charged at me. I leaped into the air, allowing them to collide with each other. I watched them try to pull themselves off of each other, feeling a lot safer in the air. That is, until someone else charged at me from behind and sent me spiraling back towards the ground. I looked up and caught a glimpse of Tooth; her eyes looked the same as Bunny's and North's, and she twitched involuntarily. I fell in a pile of sand, quickly drawing me in. I scrambled at just to face Sandman, red-and-black eyed and looking dazed.

The four Guardians closed in on me, not saying a word, except for Bunny, who was growling. They backed me up against the wall. I held my staff up, still unwilling to hurt them. "Why are you doing this?" I questioned, hoping that they were about to break to reveal doubled-over people laughing at me and the prank that they just pulled, but they just continued to close in on me. "_We serve the master now_," they answered in unison, all with a monotone voice.

"Yes, Jack," a new voice chuckled, eerily familiar. A man stepped out from the shadows, his form practically radiating with a blinding light. "And now, dear boy, you will give up your will and serve me as well, or you will die."

**I love cliffhangers. I'm sorry, but they are fun to do. However, I do edit often, so you be waiting for like a year or something like some people might make you do. (*cough* Rick Riordan *cough*) Please review, and I'll be back soon! (Maybe even later today if you're lucky…)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm baaaaack, the same day too! ;D Again, I really don't have anything better to do, except write. So…here you go!**

Chapter 3: Saved by the Moon

Instinctively, I tightened my grip on my staff. Whoever this guy was, I wasn't about to do anything he wanted me to do. "What do you want with me and my friends?" I growled.

The man stepped through the wall of Guardians and faced me, sizing me up. It was a bit disconcerting, since he was a few inches taller than me. He was extremely muscular, and had a deep tan. His white muscle shirt revealed his broad chest, and he had fiery red hair to match his blood red eyes. "Simple," he stated like I was an idiot for asking. "I want to get rid of you, of course. The girl and Blondie can stay, I don't really mind them, but the rest of you interfere, distracting everyone from the joys of summer, _especially_ you." He was a breath away from my face.

To be honest, this guy scared me, but I couldn't let him see that. "So…" I bluffed, "Are you like the sprite of sunburns or something?"

He lifted the corner of his lip in a snarl. "I am the great Heat Miser, whelp!" he snapped, flames flickering off of his hair.

I thought the Heat Miser was some fat troll in some song sang by singing puppets. My eyes darted around him, looking for a way out of this mess. Spotting the mindless drones behind him, I couldn't help but smile. "Sorry," I shrugged.

Heat looked at me like I was insane. "What are you babbling abou-"

"Wasn't talking to you," I interrupted, correcting him. I shot a blast of ice under Bunny's feet, freezing over the floor. I ducked down and slipped under Heat's feet, missing his swinging fist. I nimbly jumped over Bunny and twisted around, kicking him forward. His bare paws skidded across the ice, and he collided with Heat.

He scrambled to his feet, throwing Bunny off of him. He pushed aside the others as the attempted to help him up. Hatred burning in his eyes, he launched himself at me. I rolled to the side, but a fiery fist caught me under the jaw.

I cringed, feeling my skin burn with his contact. He swung again, but I ducked the blow. With my staff, I jabbed him in the gut. Momentarily, frost encased his chest, but it melted away. Somehow I felt like that was going to happen to me if I didn't stop this guy. He charged, but I leapt up, kicking off his head. Unfortunately, he grabbed my ankle and yanked me down.

My back collided with the hard floor with a bone-cracking thud. His feet pressed against my ribs, holding to the floor. Heat radiated from him and it spread through my body, sapping my strength. Sucking in my breath, I blasted him with a wave of ice.

It threw him off and into North, who was behind him. "Don't just stand there!" he screeched, "Get him!" Sandy, Tooth, and Bunny charged; their red and black eyes were blank. I ducked Tooth, but Bunny's boomerang hit me, both times around, cutting into my arm and forehead. I was so focused on them, that I was unprepared when a wave of sand crashed into me. It started to fill my mouth and nose, and I was forced to squeeze my eyes shut.

Something that felt like a rhino rammed into my side. I struggled not to gasp, because then sand would fill my mouth even more. Panicked, I let power escape my body in a rush. The sand froze instantly, and it cracked open. I gasped for breath, but it was knocked right back out of me as Heat's fist hit my gut.

I skidded across the floor, luckily stopping next to my staff, which I had lost in the sand. I quickly grabbed it and swung. A sheet of ice formed from it and separated me from them. Not knowing what else to do, I ran the other direction, into the Globe Room.

Once inside, I caught my breath. Remembering the eclipse, I looked up through the moon hole. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was over, but the moon did seem paler than usual.

The door flew open, and I looked over my shoulder to see Tooth dart into the room. Great, Hot-head must have melted my barrier. "I don't want to hurt you!" I cried as Tooth charged at me. Suddenly, wisps of pale light fell on my shoulders, and I realized that I was under the moon hole. Without thinking, I formed and promptly chucked a snowball, hitting Tooth square in the face.

Blue light shimmered in her eyes, and they faded back to violet. She gasped, and fell to the ground. Quickly, I reached forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Tooth groaned softly, then her decorated eyelids fluttered open to look at me. "Wh-what happened?" she whispered, tracing the cut on my forehead gently.

"Nothing much," I lied, smoothing down her soft feathers. Footsteps outside made me jerk my head up. I blasted the door, freezing it over just as somebody rammed into it. "We gotta get out of here," I muttered.

The moonbeams around intensified, and I found myself in the middle of silvery-white images, drawing out what looked like Tooth's castle.

Just as the ice shattered and the door flew open, I found myself falling, still holding Tooth. My feet hit the ground with a thud, and my staff thumped me in the head as it fell beside me. I looked around and realized that we were at Tooth's castle. All the little tooth fairies swarmed us, surrounding Tooth. Baby Tooth landed on my shoulder and rubbed against my white hair in greeting. The fairies took Tooth out of my hands and laid her down, fetching food, water, and teeth to wake her up.

I lifted my gaze to the moon, shining brightly in the sky. "Thank you," I whispered, "But this is far from over."

**Ooh, this is getting exciting! I'll be back with another chapter soon, I promise. Until then, feel free to review. (Hint: Reviews may encourage me to update faster =P)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I have two other stories out now! Messengers of Light and When Worlds Collide, but don't worry, I won't slow down in editing due to them. I've been lazy on getting a picture up for this story, but I promise that I'll finish it and put it up by tomorrow.**

Chapter 4: Breaking the Spell

I couldn't stop thinking about the others. Tooth just woke up, and I smiled to make her believe everything was okay. Maybe I could slip out and go back for the others the second she became entranced in her Tooth Fairy duties again.

"You still didn't answer me." Tooth's voice snapped me out of my trance. I looked up to see her studying me with her penetrating violet gaze.

"What question?" I asked like I didn't know what she was talking about, but I already had a good idea.

"What happened to you?!" she repeated again, with more emotion, reaching out to stroke my scrapes from the boomerang.

I shrugged, and hoped she would accept my answer. "I fell asleep in the trees again, and when I woke up I was already falling and hitting every branch on the way down," I lied, "I promise I have learned my lesson and would never make that mistake again." I raised my right hand in the air, exaggerating every movement to throw her off.

She squinted at me, deciding whether or not to believe me. I held my breath. "Well, just be more careful," she demanded softly, but I didn't think she was about to let this go.

"I will," I promised, flying off in the air, waving goodbye. When I was sure she couldn't see me, I accelerated forward and zoomed back to the North Pole, desperate to get back to the others. The large building came into view, and it was as quiet as ever.

I landed softly on the snow, forming another snowball in my hand. Creeping around the area, I waited for another being to come into view, daring them to come out even.

A hard thump on my side knocked the snowball out of my hand, along with any sense of security I had. I slid into the snow, but quickly pushed myself up and connected my foot with my attacker. The feeling of soft fur on my bare feet immediately alerted me that I had just kicked Bunny in the chest. I pushed off his chest and twisted around, sliding back in the snow on my feet.

I leaned forward and scooped up and fistful of snow as I launched myself at Bunny, still dizzy from my last attack. "Oof!" A wave of sand crashed into my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. I flipped backwards and tumbled through the snow. Feeling the ground rumble against my back, I barely was able to look up when a herd a sand-elephants trampled over me.

Instinctively, I thrust my staff into the nearest elephant's ankle (_cankle_ is more like it…). Ice spread up its leg, and to the rest of its body. Quickly, all of the elephants were frozen, allowing me to shatter them to shards. I jumped into the air, ignoring the painful bruises forming across my chest.

I scanned the area. Where did everyone go? While I pondered this, I found that I was completely unprepared to dodge a giant bat made of sand swinging towards me. It connected, and I was thrown back, quickly approaching the ground …and a giant pair of scissors. I swerved upwards and began to fly the other direction, when the sandy scissors caught up to me. With a slice across my back, I accelerated towards the ground.

I couldn't help thinking on the way down that that was the most creative way that I have ever been beat up. After skidding face-first into the snow, I looked up to see that I was surrounded by Bunny, Sandy, and North. They must have had some of their minds left, because when I smiled they all looked slightly confused.

"Batter up!" I yelled as I leapt to my feet, karate-style. A snowball formed in my hand and I hit it with my staff, sending it flying towards Sandy's face. Feeling the sharp pain all over my body from his elephant stampede and the blood from the scissors dripping down my back, I had decided that he was my first target. I couldn't take much more of his attacks.

Sandy's eyes faded back to a golden-yellow, and he slumped down in the snow. "Yes!" I shouted, feeling victorious. For once, the same trick worked twice. I didn't have time to celebrate though, since North was now on top of me, his sword poised to strike.

I rolled to the side and sprayed snow on his face with my staff. He stammered back, blue lights flickering around his eyes, slowing changing them back. North fell over, exhausted like the others from the spell.

Bunny was the last one. I glanced around, looking for him. Just then he sprang out of a hole that opened up in the ground in front of me. He toppled me over, and we rolled back together a few feet. Bunny's paws pushed against my shoulders and held me to the ground. He took out his boomerang and pushed it towards my throat; the only thing stopping it was my staff, placed in a defensive position in front of me.

After the flash of deja vu ended, I reached up and touched his face, which was only an inch from mine. Like I had hoped, blue tendrils of light flickered around, erasing the red and black from his eyes. "Frostbite?" Bunny whispered, right before collapsing on top of me. Bunny weighs a lot, if I do say so myself.

I heaved him off, letting Bunny roll to the ground. As soon as I got up, slow clapping from behind me made me freeze. I whipped around to face Heat, smiling contently. The snow melted in a five feet radius around him, leaving nothing but mud. Flames danced off his hair randomly, and his eyes flickered in amusement. "Good job," he sneered, "But you still have to deal with _me_."

**Well, that chapter was a little longer than I expected, but I think the action made up for it. Reviews are loved, and I'll be back soon. ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

Fire and Ice

**(*sniffle* *sniffle*) My computer died yesterday. Lucky for you, my love for writing is causing me to go through hoops just to get this to you. I am currently writing on my sister's computer (which she graciously allowed me to use), but it's old and doesn't have internet, so I have to put it on a flash drive then bring it over to my dad's computer in order to bring this to you. So if I don't update as fast, it is because of this. Oh, and at the end of the chapter, I switch over to 3****rd**** person, mainly to describe what Tooth sees.**

Chapter 5: Burned

I immediately lunged at him, the end of my staff sparking with ice. If this guy thought he could hurt my friends and control them like a puppet and get away with it then he was wrong. A few feet away, I leaped into the air and swung my staff downwards onto his head with enough force to drive him to the center of the earth.

My heart nearly stopped when my staff froze (unfortunately, not literally). Heat held one end of it in his hand, stopping it from going any further; his amused smile started to turn to a slight snarl. Without warning, he swung his end of my staff down, sending me crashing into the snow, or what used to be the snow.

I pulled my face out of the mud just in time to see a stream of fire fly towards to me. It barely scorched my hoodie as I rolled to the side. Gripping my staff, I flew up onto my feet and jabbed Heat in the shoulder. He caught it again, but before he could do anything a jolt of ice exploded from the end of the staff, knocking him backwards.

"Whelp," he growled. Within a couple of seconds, Heat cleared the distance between us and was coming at me with a fiery fist. He swung it at my gut, but I rolled out of the way. I leaped back up to deliver a blow with my staff to his side, but another flaming fist caught me under the jaw. I skidded back, tumbling in the mud. Sweat dotted my forehead as the heat pressed against me; the area under my jaw burned with intensity.

I took a deep breath and focused. The ground beneath me froze over once again, icy tendrils of frost spreading from my body. Twisting around I swept my foot under Heat, and he crashed into the ice. I stood up, and placed the butt of my staff on his chest.

Heat glared up at me with burning hatred. His hair erupted into flames, and his eyes burned dangerously. Suddenly, fire flew from his body in random directions, causing me to release my hold to avoid them. My new layer of ice melted almost instantly.

Before I knew it, he was back on his feet, or, well, off his feet. Heat hovered a few inches off the ground; the whole area succumbed to his heat. His entire body was now covered in flames, making him resemble the Human Torch. The heat radiating off of him pushed against me, making me feel dizzy and light-headed.

I didn't have time to even think about avoiding the next blast of fire. It roared past me, scorching my clothes and my skin. I slammed my staff into the ground, and a dome of ice covered me like a shield. However, the continuing stream of fire tore at it, until it starting melting, dripping away like an icicle in Hawaii.

Suddenly the blast split in two, surrounding me with a circle of fire. I held on to my staff tighter, desperately trying to keep my icy shield up, but the heat was still getting to me. Sweat rolled off my face and my neck, and I found myself struggling for breath.

Heat floated his way into the ring of fire, and with a swift blow, my dome shattered. The collapse of the shielded jolted me, and I leaned onto my staff for support. "Okay, Grumpy. Someone needs to cool off," I laughed weakly. I pointed my staff at his chest and blasted ice at him. For a second, Heat's upper chest was encased in ice, but it melted off just as quickly and resumed to burn.

He pulled back his fist, a large flame dancing off of it, and sent it flying towards me. I lifted my staff in defense.

Crack.

The staff broke in two, and it felt like my spine just shattered. Heat's blow connected with my chest, and it sent me sprawling backwards. I gasped for breath, and tried to push myself back up on shaky legs.

Heat grabbed me by my hoodie and lifted me off the ground, laughing cruelly. "Aw, did I break your toy?" he sneered. "Here, how 'bout you have a look at mine." A flaming sword formed in his hands. With a fluid swipe, the blade sliced through my chest. He dropped me, and I crumbled to the ground.

I feebly coughed up blood, and struggled to get back up, but my shaking arms were too weak. Black spots dotted my vision, and I fought for consciousness. However, my strength was gone, and I passed out.

Tooth knew Jack was hiding something. After he had left, she decided to follow him. Somehow, Tooth knew he went to the North Pole. She arrived, and nearly gasped at the sight.

An entire section of the North Pole was covered in mud, obviously from melted snow. Her eyes darted around, and she spotted the other Guardians, passed out on the snow on the edge of the melted area.

"Where's Jack?" she muttered to herself. Tooth searched the area, and gasped in horror at what she saw. A flaming man hovered over Jack, who was lying motionless on the ground. He was deathly pale, way paler than usual, and burns covered his body. His snow white hair was matted with blood and mud, and his hoodie was stained with blood that continued pour out of his chest. "Jack!" she screeched. Tooth zoomed towards the man, ready to take him out.

The Heat Miser rolled his eyes and glared at the incoming Tooth Fairy. He raised his hand and chucked a fireball out her right before she crashed into him. The murderous look in her eyes turned to shock as the fireball hit her and sent her flying back. With a contempt smirk, he grabbed the unconscious Jack Frost by the hood and tossed him through a fiery portal. He stepped through after him, and the portal closed.

The Guardians started to wake up, unsure how they all got outside North's workshop. "What happened?" Bunny asked. Question marks formed above Sandy's head in reply.

North looked up and saw Tooth on the ground groaning. He scooped her up and saw that the feathers on her chest were scorched. "Who did this to you?" he demanded.

"He…he took…" Tooth gasped, winded from her sudden attack.

"Who took what?" North questioned, confused.

"Jack…" Tooth whispered, his broken body fresh in her mind.

North was still confused. "Jack took what?"

Tooth shook her head and was about to elaborate, but Bunny interrupted. "Umm, guys, you need to see this." They all turned to look at Bunny. He held the broken halves of Jack's staff in his paws.

"Some guy took Jack," Tooth confirmed.

"Well then," North decided. "We must get Jack back."

**Are you on the edge of your seat yet? If you aren't, then I'm a failure of a writer… Since I'm sure you can't wait to see they next chapter, so until then, here's something to keep you busy. In the first chapter, I have a cameo hidden in there that I used just for fun. The first person who finds it may win something…o_O If you don't want to do that, then review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello peoples! My mind has been busy lately, constantly coming up with more stories, and sadly (*sigh*) my computer has not been revived yet. My dad told me that when the "blue screen of death" showed up, that we were screwed and would have to get a technician out. Gratefully, my dad took pity on me and let me use his laptop for the time being (yes!). Anyways….enough about my life, on with the story! So, this is more of a filler chapter, containing a lot of woody banter between Heat and Jack. But don't worry, it's not completely pointless.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Monologues and Smart-mouths

The flaring burns jolted me awake, followed by the throbbing pain of the cuts and bruises that covered my body. Stifling a groan, I pulled myself into a sitting position, leaning against a wall. I looked around to see that there was nothing here; I was in a gray, stone room, with no windows, no doors, and, well, nothing at all.

Instinctively, I reached for my staff, but the hollow pain in my chest reminded me of my current situation, and that my staff was broken. As the memories came crawling back, I struggled to scramble up and flee. I was yanked back, and I unfortunately discovered that I was chained to the wall by my wrists and my ankles.

"Smooth, Jack," I muttered to myself, "Way to go get yourself beat up and captured by a madman." Without warning, the temperature shot up another fifty degrees and the chains got red hot, burning into the skin that was forced into contact.

A fiery portal appeared in the middle of the room, and the Heat Miser strolled out, obviously amused. The portal closed, and Heat loomed over me. "Hmm, the little Snowflake is awake. It took long enough, I wanted to see the look on your face when I ended you," he sneered.

"What did I ever do to you, Heat pack?" I questioned, honestly confused about his motives.

Heat rolled his eyes, like I was supposed to know the answer. "You made winter fun," he simply stated. "You see-."

Great. He was a monologuer.

"Summer used to be a great time," he continued, bitterness rising in his throat. "Kids used to look forward for summer, when they were off from school and free from the coldness of winter. Then you came. Slowly but surely, you made winter more exciting than summer, and the days became colder and colder, pushing me out. I'm not the only one that feels like this, you know. May and April are pretty upset too." Heat finished off by glaring out me, his gaze practically burning into my skin as well.

I laughed weakly, ignoring the weariness washing over me from the heat. "It's not my fault that kids prefer winter over summer," I shrugged.

At that, Heat growled kicked my chest, knocking me to the ground. "Yes, it is. You've poisoned the children to think that it is good to freeze their butts of in the snow," he snapped.

"Someone didn't have a good childhood," I teased, cocking my head up at him. That probably wasn't the best move, I admit, since he kicked my hard in the side. I hissed in pain as the point of his sword slid across my back.

Heat gripped my hood and pulled me up, squatting so he could look at me at eye level. "Lucky for you, I promised my girl April that she could see you die, so enjoy your last hour of life, winter boy," he whispered, before dropping me.

How was I going to get out of this one?

* * *

The Guardians stared in horror at Jack's broken staff. What would happen to the young Guardian if his item of power was shattered? Tooth, who was now feeling better, flitting around like a maniac while trying to explain what she saw.

"It looked a bit like the Heat Miser now that I think about it," she thought, "but different out the same time. Of course, I haven't seen him in a hundred years or so."

"If the bloke did take him," Bunny wondered, "then where are they?"

Sandy waved his arms and pointed to the images of sand whirling above his head.

"Yes Sandy," North acknowledged, "You can bury him in sand once we find him." Sandy more urgently gestured to the sand. "Fine, lot of sand."

"Wait," Bunny interrupted, "Doesn't Heat have a place in the Sahara?"

North stroked his beard. "I believe he does… Everyone in sleigh!" he announced, before adding, "Sandy, how come you not know that he lies within so much sand?"

Sandy shook his head in defeat. He had tried to tell them that earlier, but they didn't understand. It was times like this where Sandy wished he could talk.

They all hopped in the sleigh and flew off (much to Bunny's dismay…), eager to find their missing Guardian.

* * *

**Okay, so it wasn't much, but I hoped it was at least somewhat enjoyed. I'll try to be back soon, and I promise to put more action in the next chapter. Oh, and I recently discovered that my line breaks weren't working, so I'm going to try to fix that in the previous chapters. **

**PS. Remember that the Guardians don't know that Jack's staff has been broken before.**

**PPS. Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I tried to make this chapter longer to make up for the shortness of the last chapter. The action I promised wasn't really that much, so I'm sorry. I've been juggling several stories and sometimes I get them mixed up, if that makes any sense. So please enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: Escape from the Furnace

"There it is!" Tooth cried when she spotted the sinister castle on the horizon. North immediately steered the sleigh towards the building and landed in front, jumping out without hesitation and his two swords drawn. Bunny held his boomerang in a defensive stance, and Sandy formed two sand-whips. "Let's go," Tooth whispered. They were going to save their youngest Guardian.

* * *

Freezing the chains so they break…too hot. Pulling the chains out of the wall…won't budge. Chewing my hands and feet off…only briefly considered. Use my staff to pry the chains off…I don't have it, not even the pieces. This was going to be harder than I thought.

The flaming portal appeared once again, and I braced myself. Heat had already come in here two times to "check on me" (translation: beat me to a pulp) and I wasn't too keen on going through that again. He stepped out, but this time he was followed by a girl with dirty blond hair and pale green eyes who clung to Heat possessively. She smiled cruelly when she saw me, and vines grew around her pale green dress that split at her thigh then fell to her ankle, which were also wrapped in budding vines.

"Aw, Jacky doesn't look too hot," she pouted sarcastically before smiling again. "Could you warm him up, Heaty?" she traced her slender finger over his depressingly (for me at least) monstrous bicep.

He pecked her on the lips and smiled. "Sure thing, April," he agreed, marching over to me just so he can kick me in the gut.

I doubled over, and as soon as my back was exposed a stream of fire crashed into it, cooking my skin. The agonizing scream that followed was involuntary. He grabbed me by the hood and threw me against the stone wall. I heard a crack, and I slumped to the floor. There goes another rib.

Suddenly, vines wrap around my arm and down my side. Thorns sprouted and dug into my skin, and a muffled scream escaped.

The girl, April, knelt down beside me, fingering the thorny vines. "You've been a pain in my side for a long time, Frost. With you running around making snowstorms and blizzards, you make it harder and harder for me to bring spring," she whispered in my ear. "But with you gone, there wouldn't even be a winter to worry about."

I'm pretty sure that these two could start a "Let's all end Jack and winter once in for all!" club.

A heavy boot, Heat no doubt, kicked me in the side and I rolled over, wincing as the movement caused the thorns to bury themselves further into me. He lifted me by the tattered front of my sweatshirt, but then stopped abruptly like he heard something. He released me and I fell back to the ground. "We'll be back, Popsicle," he growled, turning to leave through another portal.

* * *

Heat knew someone entered his castle, he could feel their unique heat signatures contrast to the temperature of his fortress. Leaving winter boy curled up in a mass of vines and blood, waiting to be finished off, he dragged his girl, April, out of the room to find the trespassers.

The Guardians had heard Jack's scream (Bunny especially) and were now racing towards the source. After rounding another corning, they saw the Heat Miser and April, spirit of spring, step out of a fiery portal.

"Where is Jack?!" North demanded.

"Somewhere he won't leave alive," Heat replied smugly, hiding the fact that he was just in the other room.

Tooth lunged at him with fury so fast Heat didn't know what hit him. At that moment, the fight began.

April directed vines towards North and Bunny, but with a few swipes of North's sabers and a throw of Bunny's boomerang, they fell to the ground in pieces. Furious, April nimbly jumped on Bunny and delivered an agile kick to his jaw.

Ropes made of sand wrapped around April's waist and yanks her off of Bunny. Sandy threw her into Heat, who was about to launch a fireball out Tooth.

They landed in an ungraceful heap, struggling to pull them apart. With a thump of Bunny's foot, a gaping hole appeared below them, and they fell through with a yelp.

"Where did you send them?" Tooth asked.

Bunny smiled smugly. "Antarctica."

Sandy spotted the portal, which Heat failed to close with all of the commotion, and pointed frantically to it. He had a feeling that the other side held Jack, and he was sticking to it. Images of it and Jack swirled around his head, but the others failed to notice. He grabbed Tooth's arm and pulled her over, pointing at the portal and the images again.

Understanding what he meant, she called the others over and they stepped through the portal.

* * *

I heard heavy footsteps approach me, and I flinched and shrank back, expecting Heat to finish me off with his girlfriend watching. I was barely awake at this point, and couldn't even open my eyes much less pull myself off of the ground to face him. Every part of my body throbbed, and the suffocating heat of the places had sucked any strength that remained out of me.

I tried to open my eyes, but black spots danced across my vision. Welcoming unconscious, I slipped into it, vaguely aware of the figures hovering over me.

* * *

Tooth gasped when she saw Jack. He was chained to the stone wall, and was huddled in the corner, a broken and bloody mess. He lay in a pool of his own blood, and his chest barely rose and fell to his ragged breaths. Her heart nearly broke when he stiffened and flinched farther against the wall. What had Heat done to him?

North briskly walked over and snapped the chains off his wrists and ankles, revealing charred skin underneath. He picked the boy up, bridal style, and his head rolled to the side, showing that he was unconscious. They all knew Jack was young, but seeing him so beaten made Jack seem so small and helpless, like a child.

"We must get Jack medical help," North stated softly.

Tooth hovered next to him, tracing over his many cuts, bruises, and burns. She felt a few broken ribs as followed a huge gash on his chest. Tears slipped out as she saw how bad Jack's injuries were.

Silently, they climbed back into the sleigh. Sandy began to wrap Jack's cuts so they wouldn't bleed out. He frowned when he noticed a cut on his chest that had already begun to heal, showing that it was older. What bothered him were the traces of sand that infected it.*

Shrugging it off, he and Bunny, who momentarily forgot his acrophobia**, continued to wrap his wounds as the sleigh landed in North's workshop.

* * *

Heat was horrified when he found himself in the middle of Ant-freaking-artica***. The snow slushed beneath him, and an idea came to mind. Jack may not be dead yet, but he was weak. Heat was sure that Jack Frost's current state would keep him from stopping Heat with his new quest: to end winter.

* * *

**This story is far from over, so don't freak out. Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed, 'cause I'm sure it was. Anyways, I'm sure you notice my little stars* (I always forget what they are called…). I added those just in case what I said confused you; I'm just paranoid like that.**

***- Back when the Guardians were under Heat's control, Sandy had cut Jack with giant scissors.**

****- Acrophobia is fear of heights, which I am almost positive Bunny has.**

*****- Ant-freaking-artica: Maximum Ride's fun nickname for the place that I couldn't resist throwing in.**

**Review your thoughts! Remember, if anyone can guess the hidden crossover in Chapter 1 (which includes where exactly it is from), I'll give you a surprise! Oh, yeah. Did anyone else think of Toph when Tooth shouted "There it is!" when they flying over the desert, or is it just me?**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so sorry, I know I haven't updated this in a while, instead I've been working on other, new stories… hehe… Well, I'm back. Oh, and I remember I mentioned something a few chapters ago about my cover, and while I have a temporary one, I've been unable to put up my drawing meant for this, because it was on my dead computer. Good news though, it is almost fully recovered! My dad is a wonder with technology. Almost…**

**Anyways, sorry if this seems like a filler, 'cause it really is. But, it does help me transition from one part of the story to the next part, which is completely necessary.**

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Chapter 8: Recovery is for Chumps

I woke up with a start, sweat beading on my forehead. Footsteps startled me awake, and I tensed waiting for the deep chuckle and rough kick that always followed. Seconds, a whole minute it seemed, passed and nothing happened. Slowly, I pried my eyes open. The startling white background shocked me after the cold, dark, creepy stone. In fact, it scared me so bad I rolled off the bed.

Wait, I was in a bed?

Looking around more closely, I realized that I was in an infirmary of some sort. Somehow, I doubted the Flame-head put me here.

Heavy footsteps from outside made me freeze. As they got nearer, my body tensed, anxious for something to happen. My body screamed in protest as I cautiously moved myself into a defensive position.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal North and Bunny. Before any common sense whatsoever made an appearance, images of them with their blades at my throat flashed before me, and I jumped, scrambling away from them.

North took a step towards me, his mouth halfway open. Instinctively, I swiped a foot under him, sending the large Russian crashing down. I hissed in pain as my body screamed at me in agony for my sudden movements. My eyes threatened to roll back into my head as I took several shaky breaths. I pushed myself against the wall, clenching my teeth when searing pain shot up my spine.

"Shhh, it's okay Jack. We're not going to hurt you. You're safe now," a soothing voice washed over me, relaxing my nerves. I tried to focus on the floating figure in front of me, vaguely aware of the hand running comfortingly through my hair. I began to recognize the green feathers rubbing against my bandaged chest. Wait, that was bandaged? Man, my head hurt…

"You're safe here," she whispered again. Violet-pink eyes were focused on me intently. _Violet eyes_…

The images of the Guardians attacking me with red and black eyes washed over me again, but this time they were accompanied by the memory of me breaking the control over them with a snowball to the face. I clutched my head as it pounded in protest to the barrage of thoughts.

"Tooth…?" I whispered weakly.

She smiled and hugged. "Yes, Jack I'm here. We're all here."

I cringed despite of myself at Tooth's contact. The many burns I received felt like they were on fire, and they didn't seem to like being touched. Tooth immediately pulled back. "I'm so sorry…" she started.

I raised a shaky hand, which I realized was bandaged as well, to silence her. "It's okay," I assured her. I reached up to hold on to her as I slowly pulled myself to a standing position. My legs threatened to give out, but Tooth latched onto my arm and caught me, letting me lean on her for support.

A confused Bunny was helping up an even more confused North. "What was that for, Frostbite?" Bunny asked, pointing to Russian who was groaning slightly.

I reached up to scratch the back of my neck and laughed nervously, much to the disagreement of my ribs. Pain exploded from my chest. Great, my ribs must be broken… "Err, about that, I sorta forgot that you guys weren't going to attack me, so…" I trailed off, unable to find the correct words.

North raised a bushy white eyebrow. "Why would you believe such thing in first place? We are friends. _Family_," North questioned. So they didn't know… I bit my lip, knowing it would kill them to know that they were the ones who inflicted the first round of injuries on me.

"Um, you know, after being locked in a stone room with a mad man who tortured you, I sort of was in defensive mode. I, uh, didn't realize it was you guys…" I stuttered, mixing some truth in with my fat lie.

Gratefully, they accepted my excuse with no questions ask, though Bunny did raise an eyebrow (could you even call it that?) at me. "So, uh, where's Sandy?" I asked, changing the subject. I was actually curious though.

"He is giving dreams to children," North explained, "Do not worry, he will be back." I nodded, understanding completely. In fact, it meant less of a crowd…the ones here were already wigging me out a bit.

I reached out for the comfort of my staff…then remembered that it was broken in half somewhere. A violent shudder went down my spine as I felt its absence. "Hey, have you guys seen my staff?" I asked, hoping they picked it up from outside the workshop.

They all bit their lips and studied the floor guiltily. Did Heat toss my staff somewhere? Could they not find it? "You see Jack," Tooth started gently. Here it comes… I braced myself for the news. "it's…it's…_broken_," she finished, barely able to spit the last word out.

I laughed in spite of my broken ribs and bruised chest. "I knew that, but where are the _pieces_?"

Three pairs of eyes with incredulous looks locked onto to me, staring at me like my hair turned red and my skin turned purple. "But, it-you, can't use it, 'cause- it's- broken!" Bunny stuttered, at a complete loss for words. Slowly, he reached at the straps on his back and brought forth the two halves of my staff.

I snatched the pieces out of his paws, shuddering slightly at how _dead_ they felt. Taking a deep breath, I fit the two pieces together. A blue light emitted from the wood and filled the room as the ice intertwined between the pieces. A flash temporarily blinded everyone, and once my eyes adjusted again, a_ whole_ staff was in my hands. I smiled in triumph, even though I already knew it would work.

North's and Bunny's jaws looked like they were going to hit the floor, and Tooth's eyes widened until I thought they were going to pop out. Suddenly though, a wave of dizziness crashed into me and I began to collapse, only to be caught by Bunny's strong, furry arms. "Easy, Frostbite," he whispered soothingly.

"You need rest," North ordered.

"I'm fine," I insisted, even though every square inch of my body ached and screamed. I didn't want to be treated like I was incapable just because I could barely stand! That came out wrong…

"Sleep," North commanded again as Bunny laid me back in the bed against my will.

"I'm fine!" I insisted again. Bunny chuckled softly at my arrogance.

"I'm sorry, Jack," North apologized, walking towards me.

"For wha-?" North stuck a needle in my arm. My eyes widened in realization.

Bunny chuckled again. I mustered a glare at him before I went under. "Evil…" I hiss jokingly right as the sedatives won. I slipped into a comforting oblivion. Maybe sleep wasn't that bad of an idea…

* * *

Tooth looked back at Jack's small form. Without his blue hoodie, he looked a lot smaller, and it unnerved her. Now, with all the white bandages covering his body and the dull gray sweatpants, he looked even more fragile.

She had a lot of questions, but they could wait. Now, Jack just had to heal.

* * *

The icy snow started to slush under the men's feet. They pack of hikers didn't think anything about it at first, but then one guy slipped and fell into a soggy puddle of water and mud. Their eyes widened in realization; the snow was melting

But why was it melting in northern Alaska?

* * *

**I hope that made up for the wait. Probably not, but…umm…review?**


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